In ten years
by Myrvann
Summary: Yoh breaks it off with Anna. Why? and why does he run after her, after doing it?And what's this about ten years? Read to find out!
1. Chapter 1

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Hellooo! First things first. This fic was inspired by lack of sleep, boredom and reading shaman king al over again.

You see, last noght I couldn't sleep- So I decided to read some shaman king. And then I got the the chapter before Yoh leaves, and where Anna asks "may I sleep with you tonight" and yoh replied "yes".  
So there you go..

It's propably some spelling mistakes, grammar mistakes, ect.. In here, but I tried to write propaerly. So lease don't be to hard on me, because English isn't my actual language.. -.-

So, yeah.. read and review!

Disclaimer:  
I do not own the series Shaman King... If i did it would have a proper ending 3.

Oh yeah, and usually my chapters are longer than this, but rememer.. this is an intro.

Oh, and the betareader for this story is:

dorothy-of-akatsuki

:3! She's awesome!

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**CHAPTER 1**

Her constant nagging, her harsh yelling, her mean attitude, her speeches about how nothing was ever good enough.

How he still couldn't beat his opponents, after weeks of hard training.

How was he supposed to love that?

At some moments he would feel like he really did love Anna, and then again. As fast as she opened her mouth to complain, it all disappeared. Why couldn't she act like a good woman.. Like a wife is supposed to?

Blinded by frustration he forgot all about their common past, how he met her and how he had promised himself to make her smile out of happiness.

Suddenly ,all he saw was she ,giving him a bad mood and being the cause of losing Matamune.

No, he most certainly couldn't love that.

His carefree and happy nature told him that love should be something delightful and pleasant. And his current life with Anna was neither of them.

So wanting to live his life as he thought was best, he did the only reasonable thing.

He said goodbye.

Right after becoming the shaman king. Right after reaching the goal of his lifetime, he did what he thought was the most important.

He escaped the crowd that was there to hail the new king, and ran to find Anna.

Anna was walking slowly, in the middle of the street. Probably on her way to greet him.  
"Anna." he spoke, not even trying to sound like his normal cheerful self.

She looked a little surprised, but showed no further signs of reaction to his harsh tone.

"Yes, Yoh?" She didn't face him. She was looking down at her feet.

"I… I can't take this anymore..." he sighed and took a deep breath before either doing his mistake of a lifetime or opening the gate to his own happiness.  
"It's just..no matter how you look at it.. we are.. different, you know. From eachother".. So.. I'm just saying that, maybe-err..."

"Get to the point, Yoh!" she interrupted him. Her voice was forced to sound as close to normal as she possible could manage. But it ended up sounding too happy for her.

Yoh couldn't see her expression since her bangs were covering her watery, clear eyes. Actually, the only thing Yoh could see of her was the top of her head.

Anna felt something wet run down her chin. It stopped a little as it reached her lips, before it fell to the ground. She already knew what was coming.. She just hoped she was mistaken.

"It's a forced engagement... right? So… maybe we're just not made for each other?" Yoh finished. His voice had changed during the speech. From his first harsh tone to his now guilty and quite sad sound.

He waited for Anna to reply. His heart was beating fast as the raindrops would hit the ground during a rainstorm.

He heard Anna taking a deep breath.

"Fine.." Her voice was only a weak whisper. But Yoh heard it as if it was a thunder. His eyes widened.

This wasn't really the reaction he'd expect.

He watched as Anna slowly turned to face the same direction as him. "Congratulations on making your dream come true… Shaman King.. Enjoy your peaceful life."

Her words pierced him, like needles. Then she started walking. She used up all the self control she had,in order not to show any signs of her tears.

Yoh stared for a second, before he got back to his senses . "Wait, Anna!" He shouted after her.  
Anna didn't stop, but kept on walking, slowly. "We're still friends.. right?"

Why? Why was he doing this? Yoh had no answer himself... a couple of minutes ago, all he wanted was to break it off with her completely. He should feel relieved for finally doing what he wanted.. So why was he filled with this strange sadness?

"You don't move out or anything.. ? I mean.. We can still hang out, and-"

"Sure thing, Yoh!" Anna shouted, furiously as she turned to face him in one quick movement, leaving glittering tears in the air. "Definetely, Asakura Yoh... Can you never do something properly?" Her voice was a mixture of sadness, anger and frustration. "You said it yourself. Never, ever again! Aren't you a man? Shouldn't you stand for what you say?"

Yoh stared after her. "But, Anna.."

But Anna never got to hear what Yoh had to say. Because, the moment she finished talking, her small fragile feet carried her away.

Yoh could only stare as her small, petite frame became smaller and smaller.

He reached up to touch his cheek, and as he did he was shocked to find tears.  
Salty, wet tears running down his face.

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Woah.. Thanks for reading. Now, please push the little review button belove ! Flames are welcome too.

Until next time, don't eat yellow snow!


	2. Chapter 2

And first of all, I have one thing to say: There will be an OC here. No, don't turn yet! It's not me, the queen or your neighbor. It's yoh and annas child. The child isn't based on anyone, and it still hasn't got "shape"… But I'll fix that.

So I ask you kindly, please read and review. Even the smalles little "I like it" makes me happy. And when I get comments, I feel like writing to sort of pay people back for takin som time to read and tell me what they thought.

And yeah, this is my first shaman king fic ever.. xD

Now, I've been holding you enough, let's get on to the story, shall we?

Disclaimer thing:I do not in any way own either the manga or the anime series Shaman King.. I just like the characters, so I'm borrowing them to have a little fun

_This chapter was reuploaded the 27th.03 'cause I've gotten myself a might fine betareader :3_

_Her name is:_

_dorothy-of-akatsuki_

_I'm happiiii :3 She's doing a great job, and she's megafast! Oo  
You're awezome! _

_Thanks alot!_

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10 years later.

"Mooom!" the light voice from a nine yeard old, rang through the fragile, three walls of the small buss hut. "Why do we have to go now? I wanna stay home with my friends!" Next to the small child, a grown woman stood. Her left arm, pressing lightly the child's shoulder, holding it close to her waist.The woman looked down at her child. "No, honey. We're meeting up with someone, remember?"

Anna was nervous about the outcome of this whole trip. How were her former shaman friends in Tokyo doing? How had their life turned out to be?Would they hate her for leaving? Would he meet her?

He.. Even after ten years,Anna still caught herself thinking of him... Who could blame her though? Their daughter looked just like her father in a female body.Before the child was born, she'd been wondering if she would be able to love her... his child.But as fast as the little one were in her arms, mother instinct filled her heart at once.

She raised the little one alone. With the help of a fond for teenage mothers, she lived an okay life.She also discovered that her daughter had shaman powers.And,not suprisingly,they were strong for her age. But, being closely related to the shaman king, that was pretty much expected.

The girl was named Usagi, meaning moon. After the sight that awaited Anna, the day she arrived at her new home. Filled with sadness, she walked out of the airport, heading to the place she would now call a home.

Anna stayed for her first night at a hotel.When she looked out the window, the first thing she saw was the moon,reflected in the cold and dark sea water.She wasn't sure why, but the beauty of the moonlight inspired her to go on...It was as if the moonlight wiped away her tears.

And when she first saw her daughter she felt the same way.

Usagi had grown to be quite a stubborn girl, like her mom. But she had the foolish grin of her father everytime she did something wrong.At first, it caused Anna pain. But she learned to love the grin like something that belonged to Usagi alone.

And now, nine years after the birth of Usagi, Anna was about to break down the barrier.Face once again what she'd pretended not to know.

'Indeed, ten years is a long time, master Yoh.' the sound of the ancient samurai's spirit rang in the now adult boy's ears.Once again he found himself in the mansion of his family. Close to the cave which he once came out of, stronger and more mature than before.But things were quite different now..

Hopefully the cave would give him strength to face his greatest challenge yet."Uhuh." Yoh replied, facing the sky. The wind blowed gently through his hair.Anna was supposed to arrive any second now.

The sun shined in a clear, blue sky, when Anna and Usagi walked out of the bus. They had arrived at the station closest to the Asakura Mansion."Ne, mom, where are we going? I'm hungry..!" Usagi complained, and pulled her mom's sleeve. Anna looked down at her daughter. Usagi pouted, after she got her mother's attention. This caused Anna to smile as she grabbed her hand and led the way to the Asakura Mansion.

Her heart was beating faster by every step she took. The gate was slowly closing in.Anna controlled the urge to slap herself. This wasn't like her. She was the Ice Queen Anna,not some schoolgirl. And Anna knew that Usagi had every right to meet her father, no matter how painful it would be for herself.

"Mooom, I'm soooo hungry!!" Usagi complained loudly once again, holding her stomach.  
"We're nearly there, and you'll get some food once we arrive. Alright, Usagi?" Anna surprised herself, by being able to speak so calmly. She would have expected her voice to be weak, like back then.

"Hey, Master Yoh, you want me to fly and see if Anna has arrived, yet?" Amidamaru spoke.

Yoh was still sitting quietly, looking up at the sky. "Nah.. " He replied slowly. "You can't make Anna hurry.."

Finally, Yoh looked down to face his ghost companion. "My child.." he spoke slowly. It had been ten years since Anna left. Nine of them, had been spent knowing he was a father.

"Master Yoh.."

Neither of them needed to talk, to get what the other meant. After staying together through thick and thin they knew each other by heart.

"Strange isn't it..? I'm the shaman king.. I've faced monsters and shamans who held great power. I've been close to dying and I've fought until I fainted. But now, all those seem like such small things, compared to this.."

"ANNA!? I-i-is that you?" Anna looked up, and into the familiar eyes of a pink haired woman.

"Hey, mom.. who's that crazy screaming woman?" Usagi spoke, as she stepped foreward from behind her mother.

"Hello Tamao." Anna replied smiling "Nice to see you."Tamao fainted…

"Hey, lady are you okay?" Little Usagi was shaking Tamao, who currently were lying on the floor inside the Asakura mansion.Tamao opened her eyes slowly, looking op, only to see a girl she couldn't recall knowing.she sat up and looked around.

She was inside, close to the kitchen. 'What a wierd dream..." She closed her eyes and shook her head. And when she opened her eyes again… The little girl from her dream was still here.

Wait.. if the girl still was there, that would have to mean that… Anna was here too?In half a second Tamao was on her feet. "Hey, little girl where did Anna go?"

Usagi looked up at the woman. "Who are you?"

Tamao Sighed "I'm Tamao. Now, where's Anna?"

Usagi stared at her some more, before opening her mouth to reply. "Do you wanna see a magic trick, miss Tamao?"

Tamao stared at the kid. Was she stupid or something? And who was she anyway?

"Hey, you-"

"Here's a sandwich, Usagi, now stop nagging" Anna stepped into the room, holding a sandwich in her left hand, and with her right hand placed on her hip.

Tamao stared at her, opening and closing her mouth.

15 minutes later:

Tamao and Anna were sitting by the dining table, both holding a cup of tea. Usagi were playing outside with a spirit Anna had called upon to protect them on their journey. Tamao looked with serious eyes at Anna."We were all quite worried when you left without telling us anything… Yoh didn't tell us much, either. He just said you'd be coming back in ten years.." Tamao explained, as she looked over at Usagi."How old is she?"

"She just turned nine," Anna replied, raising her hand to support her chin. "I'm supposed to meet Yoh today at the cave.."

Tamao didn't look at Anna, she only nodded."He's been there a lot lately..." She spoke. Her voice sounded oddly sad, as she said it.It made Anna look up in surprise.

"What's the matter?" She heard herself say.

Tamao let her gaze float over to anna for a second. "These days, I think that's the only place where he finds comfort…"Anna closed her eyes, waiting for the answer."He told me.. he told me he had made a mistake, and that until things were fixed again, he would come to that place every day"

Anna didn't make a sound. She just stood up from the table, and walked over to Usagi, hugging her and whispering something in her ear. Usagi looked surprised at her mother, before grinning.

Then they both got up and walked away.

And Tamao knew they were going to end Yoh's waiting.

* * *

Helloo

So, that's their daughter, Usagi.. I'm not quite sure about her persionality yet, but at the moment she is a pretty childish and stubborn brat. She also likes overdoing things, wich makes her kind of a drama queen.

She doesn't have a guardian ghost yet. And I'm not sure what kind of shaman I'll make her.

It's not like she can enter the shaman tournament or anything, since it ended 10 years ago.. so there's till 490 years left.

Now that I think of it I'd say that Usagi is a little too childish for her age.. but she hven't done much yet, so let's see how this goes.

And thanks again for the reviews. I was so happy when I got them!

Please keep reviewing, it inspires me to keep on writing.

Also, tell me if there's something wrong.

:3


	3. Chapter 3

Hello :3!

I promised to update this a couple of months ago.. damn, time really does fly Oo!

Anyhow, I'll be updating now and I won't make any promises about when I'll be updating the next time.

Please tell me if something is OOC or anything like that. I haven't seen or rea shaman king in almost 6 months, so there's a lot of things I don't remember anymore.

Actually, forget the whole telling me if she is OOC thing.. -.- I just made her an emotional wreck.

Oh, well.. shit happends?

Disclaimer: I do not own shaman king, nor do I own the characters :3

I do however own Usagi (aww.. that's cute kid.. I'll make a scheme for her soon) and the plot in this thing.

Oh, and the betareader is the always awesome

**dorothy-of-akatsuki**

I think I'll have to start updating faster, with a betareader working as fast as her Oo!

Thanks alot, you're fantastic :D

**xxxxxxxxxxxx**

'So, this is it.. the end of the road...' Anna spoke inside her mind, as she led her daughter to the border of the forest. Even thought she had convinced herself that she would stay calm and collected for the whole time, she couldn't help but to feel a little uneasy, now that she knew the moment was closing in.

In approximately five minutes, she would be standing at the end of the tree-surrounded road. And then she would be fully visible to him, and he, the father of her child, would be fully visible to her..

The thought only, made her scared.  
No, not scared...

Terrified.

Would she be able to handle this situation? Would everything go as smooth as she had planned? Probably not..

The feeling of not having control of the situation filled her to the very end of her toes.She wanted to shake her head and get rid of every thought, she wanted to appear strong and collected.

But she couldn't.

The one and only ice queen,Anna Kyoyama,didn't know what to do. Now, that's something one wouldn't expect.

Maybe she could run away and simply escape the whole idea of catching up with her past... Couldn't she?

She got rid of the thought once it appeared in her mind, and her eyes turned to look at the young girl walking next to her.

The girl was looking straight forward, ready to face what was coming, what was ahead. A small smile was gracing her face, and her left hand was holding her mother's.

'That's right.' Anna thought to herself, as she got a firmer grip at the small, delicate hand of her daughter. 'We're not here for me.. I made a promise, and he… Yoh, has every right to meet her.' Anna forced her gaze forward, and tried to look as laid back, but at the same time as serious as she could.

No matter what happens, Anna would always be Anna.

Right?

All out of sudden she felt ashamed for panicking and thinking of running away.This wasn't all that much of a deal anyway.

Of course, one can always try to make a situation less serious,  
convince his brain to take it easy.  
You can even fool your feelings to react in a different way.  
But when you face the fear you've denied, not even the strongest person will be able to keep up that barrier.  
And Anna couldn't do that either.

As her eyes saw the end of the road, her feet froze.

Usagi stopped, as she noticed her mother's hand wasn't moving along with her and turned to see her mother stare right forward.

Confused, Usagi tried to follow her mother's eyes,but all she could see was a stony road ending and a great field coming up.

"Mom.. are you alright?" she asked, as she let go of Anna's hand.

Anna opened her mouth, but no sound escaped from her lips.

"Mom... What's the matter?" Usagi spoke again. This time, her childish voice held a undertone of annoyance for being ignored and concern for her mother.

Anna couldn't tear her eyes away from the field in front of her, neither could she move like she wanted.

She heard her daughters voice, "Mom.. what's the matter?" it spoke.

Anna opened her mouth to answer, but no matter what she tried, she couldn't reply.

The most honest answer would be 'I don't know', but deep down,she did know.

"Mom... What's wrong?"

'Yes, what is wrong? Why won't you move Anna?'

Why have you given out, vocal cords?

'… Why aren't you stopping the tears, eyes?'



Usagi didn't know what to do. Her mother didn't answer as she called out to her, and now tears came, trailing down her cheeks.

Not once in her entire life, had Usagi seen her mother shed tears...No matter what they faced, her mother would always face it head on and she would never cry.

Then why was she crying now?

Usagi couldn't see any wounds, neither had anything happened as they walked.

She didn't know what to do.

She wanted to run for help, but that would mean she would have to leave her mother all alone here.Besides, she didn't know her way around this area. She would get lost in an instance.

Frustrated and confused, Usagi let her tears fall. She wasn't entirely sure why she was crying like this, but she didn't know what else to do.

Anna closed her eyes,for she was fighting her greatest battle yet.A battle more intense than ever before.

That's how the battles within your heart works.The fight of control, the fight of which side of your mind it is that will rule the body.The fight where it's about losing yourself or not.

But everything was pushed aside, as the sound of Usagi's gentle sobs reached Anna's ears.

Her arms moved up to wipe away tears from her eyes, so she could see clearly,her legs moved, to let her sit to get down on Usagis eye level,the sound from her throat would once again fill the air.

But her tears didn't stop flowing.

  
"Usagi.. I'm sorry..." she spoke gently, as she embraced her daughters small frame."I didn't mean to scare you. Please don't cry."

She pushed the girl to her chest.

Usagi relaxed. She wasn't entirely sure what had happened. But everything was fine now.er mother was embracing her, telling her to stop crying.Usagis tears didn't stop at once, but her sobs got weaker, and she reached out her small hands to hug her mother back, but as she did...

She felt her mother freeze once more.  
And her lips opened again, and a single word came out.

"Yoh..."

A word spoken with a voice filled of mixed feelings.

Usagi tried to turn around, but her mother was holding her in place. She knew her mother probably wasn't realizing what she was doing, but she still wanted to see.After all, she did recognize the name of her…. Father.

The great silence were pierced by sounds of a childs cry.

Yoh, who had been lying on his back, as relaxed as he could possibly be,sat up in an instant.He didn't know why, but there was something about that cry that made him so upset.

And then it struck him as lightning from a clear blue sky.

Could it be Anna with their child? Could it really be her?

It wasn't really a surprise…

Today was the day, after all.

Even thought he had been thinking about this,and the memories were clear at the back of his mind, it wouldn't just sink in.

But he had to be sure. He couldn't let himself get worked up over nothing.

"Amidamaru."he spoke gently, and the spirit which had been floating only a few meters from him the entire time reacted.

"You want me to go and see what's making that sound?" he asked, turning into a spirit ball,ready to fly at his master's command.

But to his surprise, Yoh shook his head."Sorry.. I was going to ask if you could retire for a while."Amidamaru immediately flew into the mini tombstone Yoh was carrying.

Yoh himself got to his feet.Even thought it would appear to an observer that he was carefree,for he was walking with a blank look on his face and making light steps,that was not the case at all.

Underneath the easy going mask, he was forced into a corner by his own mind.He had already decided that he wanted to fix his mistake, but now that he was so close he wasn't sure anymore.

What if it was too late? What if she wanted nothing to do with him?

At this point, he didn't even have any evidence that it was Anna coming.Maybe she was still at the mansion?Maybe she hadn't even arrived?

…Maybe she would never come?

Well, if that was the case, then why was he getting so worked up over this?A part of him wanted to run and see what it was, another part wanted to run back.

The child stopped crying, but a couple of loud sobs could still be heard, until it silenced.

Yoh wasn't walking anymore, he was jogging.No,he was running. Sprinting.

Almost flying over the ground, moving his legs as fast as he could.

But his movements stopped the moment he got to the path near the forest.

He couldn't say a word.

There, only about 30 meters ahead of him, a face which had left a burning mark into his mind, turned to face him.A womans frame, a woman with half closed black eyes and long blond hair, embracing a child.

… his child...

His lips formed her name, but no sound escaped his lips.

But his ears worked perfectly fine, and he had no trouble hearing his name coming out from her mouth.In slow motion, he saw her lips forming an "O" as the sound rang in his ear, and the wave of emotion hit him right in the face.

Neither moved, the world had stopped for a second.

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Yup, that's it :3

another cliffhanger.. xD

I'll be quicker updating this time :3

please review


	4. a beautiful Picture

I lied .. I wasn't quicker updating.. ,

But I will be this time! 8D I promise :3

So please enjoy this new chapter, and review!

(Also, if you like Naruto, I'm planning on a new fic, so check it out xD!)

Anyhow, even if you're not interested, let me talk some about this fic D:!

For this chapter I used music for inspiration. Myself, I've never experienced love in any other way than the family way. The song I used was 'Just show me how to love you' with Sarah Brightman. It's a beautiful song :3 not really the music I normally listen to, but at least I was able to write.

more will come at the bottom xD!

enjoy

This is an unedited version, btw Oo!  
I'm going away for some time, so I thought I'd just post this right away.  
If Dorothy, the worlds best betareader can forgive me for being slower than a slug on a sunny day, and decides to help me, I'll post the edited version :3!

Anyhow; Check out her fics too!

/u/1352111/

or Dorothy-TheInsaneArcobaleno

:3

- - - -

**Chapter 4: A beautiful picture.**

_Sometimes, things don't go as planned._

_Even though you prepare yourself for a breakdown, you won't fall on the pillows you so firmly layed on the ground._

_The pillows remain on one side, while the cold floor is welcoming your body._

_Things never really turn out the way you want them to._

_but somehow, things always work out in the end._

_At least that what we have to think._

black eyes met black eyes.

thoughts stopped

minds flew

legs remained on the ground.

Anna stood up. Her head was a mess, thoughts were flying around like leaves in a whirlwind, but one thought dominated the rest. 'I have to get a hold of myself'.

Usagi grabbed her mother's hand, unsure of what to do.

Yoh's feet decided to make a move, and slowly he walked towards Anna, his eyes no longer fixed on the grown woman, but on the child holding her hand.

His child.

He couldn't explain how he knew, maybe it was the fact that she looked like him, and maybe it was his father instinct jumping in. It didn't really matter. He was only two meters away from them. He looked up at Anna and opened his mouth. "Is this..?"

Anna just nodded, and looked down at her daughter.

"She's beautiful…" Yoh muttered. He bent down to face the girl. She had her mother's eyes.

"What's your name?" He spoke.

The girl stretched out her hand. Yoh was a bit surprised over the sudden gesture, but he took her hand. "I'm Usagi… Are you my daddy?"

He smiled, as he shook her hand gently. "My name is Yoh. And yes..." he made a short pause. "I am your dad, Usagi."

xxxx

Usagi thought it was a little weird. She knew she had a dad somewhere, but since she had her mom, she never felt like she needed one. And yet, here he was. Bending down to her, shaking her hand, just like everyone else she'd ever met. Wasn't this supposed to be special in some way?

She looked up at her mother. Her eyes were fixated on the man before her. She wore an expression Usagi had seen on her face many times before, but never had she been able to read it. Maybe she was thinking about dad?

It was a mix of anger, sadness and longing. But at the same time, it seemed she tried to deny the feelings she held.

The man, Yoh, her dad, got back up and looked straight at her mother.

xxxx

"Long time, no see, Yoh" Anna spoke. Her tone held no emotion what so ever, contrary to her eyes.

Yoh smiled weakly and nodded "Ten years, right?"

The conversation died out right away. It just felt too awkward.



Ten years…

For Anna, this was a battle of control. She was regretting her breakdown, cursing herself for not being able to fight her feelings.

The battle within a person's mind is always the greatest and hardest battle. The wounds you gain through the fight will never heal, and there is no escaping.

Yoh was struggling on the matter of keeping himself calm. His child, his daughter, Usagi. She filled his mind. She was the most beautiful little girl he'd ever seen.  
He regretted it more now. More than ever.  
If he had kept the outbreak for himself at that time, he would've been able to be there with Usagi. Watch her first steps, hear her first words. Raise her together with Anna.

At that time, getting away from Anna seemed like the most obvious thing to do. But in the end, he really did have feelings for her.  
And ten years later, then hadn't changed one bit.  
If he only he had been stronger, if only he had been able to think ahead.

Yoh shook his head, this wasn't the time to deal with his faults and regrets. Anna and Usagi had come to see him. Even if it was because of the single reason that Anna wanted to fulfill her promise, of if it was out of love was irrelevant.

They were here.

"Would you care for some tea?" He spoke, putting on a smile. Anna's eyes soften down a bit, and she nodded.

They all turned to walk the way Anna and Usagi had arrived. Yoh walked next to his daughter, who was holding the hand of her mother. After a few seconds, Usagi stretched out her small hand and grabbed her father's hand.  
Once again, the girl surprised Yoh. He held her hand tight but gently. A wide smile was shown across his face.

It was indeed a beautiful picture. The two parents walking a tree-framed path, with their little daughter between them. Her small hands, stretched up to reach her parents. Some of the green leaves were swirling and flying around them.

It would be a beautiful family picture. All of them, together.

But in reality, nothing is what it seems. You can't judge a book by its cover.  
We just assume that all of those happy people in the pictures are happy in reality. Most times, they're not.  
Pictures are just pictures. In most cases, they don't resemble reality in any way.

We just use them to create a world we feel good with.

Looks can be deceiving. That's for sure.



The little trio reached the Asakura mansion after some time. Yoh opened the door to let them in, and closed it carefully afterwards.

Yet another picture. A small family kneeling around a table, drinking tea.

They drank the tea in silence.  
"Anna, we need to…" Yoh started.  
Anna nodded and looked over at Usagi. "Honey, could you go out to play? Tamao is probably in the kitchen."

Yoh showed her the way, and Usagi walked out of the room, leaving it filled with an awkward tension.

"You do know things can't go back to what they once used to be..?" Anna spoke, as she set her eyes on him.

Yoh took in her words and nodded slowly. 'But that doesn't mean it's not worth trying.'

"I know." Yoh finally spoke. "But you do know, it's my right to spend time with my child…"

Anna froze for a second. She knew very well, that what he said was true. Somehow, she didn't want Usagi to spend time with Yoh. Usagi was _her_ daughter, _she_ raised her, _she_'d been there all along...

What if she grew attached to Yoh? A selfish thing to consider, but the thought of Usagi growing attached to someone else scared her.  
It was probably the mother in her that insisted on holding such grudges.

But Usagi needed a father. And her father needed her. There was no doubt about that.  
"What do you suggest we do, then?" Anna said.

Yoh stopped a second to think about it. Thoughts were floating around inside his head.

"I don't know." he answered truthfully. Anna nodded, she hadn't expected him to come up with a solution in the first place.

"Why don't we start at something easier? It's been 10 years, and we have loads to catch up on" Yoh spoke again, trying to lighten the mood a little. Anna looked over at him, and she gave in to it.

"How have all the others been?" She asked. At times, she had found herself thinking of the group. She couldn't really call all of them friends... They were Yoh's friends, she just happened to be around them at most times. But that didn't mean she didn't care for them.

Yohs expression changed from the serious, man-like look he'd wore since he first saw them, and into a more childish face. Just like in the old times.

And then he told her about everything. How Ren and Jun had returned home and had gotten families of their own, how Horohoro had worked hard to build up a large butterbur field, and saved a huge amount of Koro Pokkuru. Ryuu was still on the lookout for the Perfect Place, and every now and then he would return to the Asakura mansion and spend some time there, before he went out again.  
Chocolove hadn't exactly reached through as a comedian, but he did have 5 minutes on the radio 

once. But he'd decided to work with blind children, since he'd gone blind for his sins during the shaman fight.

Lyzerg worked as a detective. He hadn't contacted the rest of the group in years, but they all seemed to believe that he had married Jeanne.

Manta had decided to become a doctor, and he too visited Yoh as often as he could.

Faust died during the shaman tournament, and his spirit had found peace.

Anna listened, as Yoh told about his friends, and how they all had made lives of their own.  
For a few minutes, everything was like before. But reality hit them both, as Yoh finished up the story.

"What about you? What did you become?" Anna asked.

"A father." Yoh answered quickly.  
Anna smiled. You would think that the Shaman King would have done something, at least a little, extraordinary.

He hadn't grown.. He really was the same as before.  
Anna looked at the smiling man in front of her. He was almost 30, but that didn't stop him from wearing a child's face.

Isn't it weird? When you're forced to face things you've been hiding from. When reality insists on slapping you in the face until you cry?  
Well, sometimes that's how it is.

After ten years of trying to leave the past behind her, Anna was now faced with the present. She was sitting in a room, drinking tea with the father of her child.  
It's impossible to hide from the past, neither can you escape the present. You just have to make a bright future.

What did she feel for this man? What would she do if he asked her to lend her child to him?

Yoh coughed to get her attention, and her head immediately shot up.

"Ne.. Anna, you think you can forgive me?"

To forgive and forget... It's definitley a hard thing to do.

* * *

That's it for this time!

Now, as you can see, I've put away some of Annas feelings. I was making her a total wreck, and now I have to get her at least a little like her own self.  
Also, I had to take in Usagi more in this, I've made her appear a lot younger than she actually is... But we'll have to live with it ,

Also, I haven't forgotten amidamaru, but he was dead 600 years before Yoh found him, so he can stay away from a few hours more ..

yup yup!

Yup yup, that's it. Please tell me if there's anything

And I've allready started on the next chapter :3 stay tuned, and please review ..


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